"So, Master, your opinion?" I looked at the blonde girl beside me. She seemed to be twirling a gem between her fingers, and it was clear her mind was occupied. What that thought was, I could guess: it was probably about Rin. She had appeared again, and it was after Shirou had summoned Saber.
"Caster, what are your opinions on the servants down there?" Her eyes gazed over at Archer and Saber. She had clearly said this to dodge my question. I lowered my gaze at the golden-haired woman holding some type of invisible weapon. I had seen her fight with Lancer, and I could tell that she was incredibly skilled with whatever blade it was.
The way she swung her sword with such vigor and ferociousness reminded me of Eris, but her mind and attitude were more like Ghislaine when she wasn't bloodthirsty. "Hmm, if I were to give my honest opinion, we'd lose if we were to fight the Saber right now." I didn't want to sugarcoat it; I was never the best at dealing with swordsmen, even with my armor. Orsted made my armor look like butter the way they sliced through it. If I used the MK0, I might have a chance, but only if I had time to prepare.
"I can't say I didn't expect that answer from you; you seem to have low confidence," she sighed and turned around. "Oh well, Rin, I guess our meeting will have to wait for now," she chuckled softly to herself as she made her way off the roof we were occupying. I took one more glance at the Saber below; just looking at her made my stomach churn and made me feel uncomfortable. The aura she gave off was bone-chilling.
Just as I was about to turn and dust off my knees, the woman turned quickly and looked in my direction. I quickly hid, and a chill ran throughout my entire body. "What kind of instincts do you have to notice my gaze from afar?" My voice was a little frazzled, and I quickly made my way to leave, just in case she decided to follow her instincts.
"Shirou, it seems the enemy has been watching us." Saber's tone grew serious as she looked at her master. "What? Someone was spying on us the whole time?" Rin spoke up, a little concerned. She had almost been killed by this Saber, and the master was Shirou, and now she was learning that someone was spying on them. She let out an exasperated sigh. Could this day possibly get even more strange?
"Master, stay wary of that Saber; she's more sharp than the others," Rudeus said through the mental link. He was currently flying in the sky and looking out for any incoming threats. In his books, Saber was the number one threat; the way she fought off Lancer, took his ultimate attack, and then immediately went and fought Archer scared him. He had already put Saber on his list of servants he really needed to watch out for, and this just reaffirmed his beliefs. "I see how you could reach that thought, but our biggest priority is defeating Rin; everything else is second." Luvia had also seen Saber's fight against Lancer and was really impressed, even somewhat jealous. Someone like Shirou, whom she could tell wasn't that advanced in magecraft, had summoned a powerful servant like Saber, who also seemed to be respectful. Meanwhile, she was stuck with a cowardly servant who somewhat disobeyed her. She could tell that Rudeus had power hidden away, but seeing such bold displays of power made her waver.
The duo continued down the street, both lost in their own thoughts. Rudeus's mind stopped as he quickly dropped down. Luvia was confused, but seeing the seriousness on Rudeus's face, she quickly understood. As Rudeus got in front of Luvia, the night chilled. Everything was quiet; it was eerie. It was so quiet you could hear the crickets chirping, the wind slightly blowing to the east in a soft breeze. Everything felt so tranquil and still, it almost made him want to enjoy the winter night. He quickly jumped back, grabbed his master, and used a stone cannon.
A sword strike quickly cut the stone cannon in half. Rudeus was now really on guard; he had not seen who cut it. They had quickly slipped back into the shadows. "Caster, what's happening?" Luvia was on edge; she had not felt a single thing behind her, and if not for her servant, she would have died from that sneak attack. She knew it had to be a servant because of the speed, but she also hadn't seen the servant, so she couldn't guess who they were.
"Master, stay close; this person is dangerous." Rudeus searched the area for the hidden figure. The only reason he had blocked that attack was because of his eye; he had not felt any presence behind him. Rudeus's mana flared; he conjured a volley of ice shards and shot them around him, hoping one would strike the hidden target. Another sword slash rang from behind them. Rudeus turned, and an ice shard had been cut and shattered into many pieces. "Come out and face us, coward! Hiding like this should be beneath a proud servant," Rudeus shouted, making sure the servant heard him. Yeah, it was cringy to act all proud and prideful, but it seems that people from this world are really into that.
A laugh was heard some distance away, and Rudeus wasted no time sending a stone cannon his way. Rudeus heard the person run in a different direction to dodge the stone cannon and used their footsteps to rain down a barrage on them. Multiple sword slashes cut down the barrage, but Rudeus didn't let up. "Caster, I'll send assistance." Luvia began to chant, lighting up her circuits as she let a red gem burst from her toward where she thought the servant was. Rudeus's eye flashed, and it showed Luvia getting cut down. He ran back. "Master, move!" he shouted. She began to move, but weirdly, she stopped and started to attack. Rudeus was confused by this. Had her arrogance reached its max?
He had no choice but to save her. The entire surrounding area, other than Luvia, had frozen over in a glistening white ice. Rudeus's eyes narrowed in on the block of ice that had formed around a shadowy figure. He wanted to attack, but he couldn't; his first priority was getting his master out of this and retreating. This opponent was dangerous while fighting with his master. He couldn't babysit while in a life-or-death situation. "Master, we have to go; let's retreat for now," he spoke while grabbing her to run, but she refused. "No, we have to battle; he's right there, Rudeus! Kill him." She looked at the block of ice and shot her arm up, ready to attack. Rudeus was so confused; he didn't know his master was so battle-hungry. He couldn't refute her point, though—he was right there. He charged a stone cannon and shot it. It pierced the figure's head as they went limp. He was a little surprised; he didn't expect a fight—
Rudeus suddenly let out a hitched scream. He looked down at the sword that was coming out of his stomach. His eyes felt strained, and his whole body felt weak.
"Peekaboo," he heard a raspy voice in his head, and it chilled him to his core. The sword exited his stomach, and Rudeus's body dropped down as he began to spit up blood. His eyes became hazy, and he began to clutch his stomach. His mind couldn't focus. He felt helpless. He had felt this before, multiple times. Would his wish be forfeited now? Would he lose already in the first fight he had during the war? Was all his planning for nothing? These thoughts cruised through his mind like a never-ending sea. His right hand went to his wound and began to heal. Slowly, his vision and mind began to clear up. After he finished, he let out a breath of relief.
As his mind began to chill, he suddenly remembered his master. "Where is she?" His eyes searched frantically. If she died, then his hopes of winning would diminish a lot. He saw her, unconscious. He was relieved and a little confused. Didn't the servant want to win? Why had he spared their life like this? It didn't make sense, no matter how he thought about it, but Rudeus wasn't one to be ungrateful. Many like Eris would probably be pissed because an enemy spared their life, but I had no such honor. I'm alive, and that's all that matters. But this encounter really made him feel worried for the upcoming war.
A/N: Writing on a laptop feels so much better than writing on my phone like this i might even post more
Also guess who the servant is and I'll drop another chapter that same day…